Spiritus is a collection of four pieces taken from Andrew Keeling's recorded classical output. Stretching from 1993 to 2006, it demonstrates Keeling's lyrical bias: something explored in the recent albums by his alt-rock band Otherworld and subsequently developed in such works as the opera, Get Weaving (2016) commissioned by the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, and Coniunctio (2015) commissioned by pianist Clare Hammond. On the present disc the Piano Trio, Unquiet Earth conveys the atmosphere of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights while O Ignis Spiritus - here performed by the Hilliard Ensemble - are settings of Hildegard of Bingen, Blake and Wordsworth chosen for their close connection between spirit and nature. The Piano Quartet Reclaiming Eros is a key work for its intense energy combined with a direct melodic warmth contrasted with the six short pieces for piano, Blue Dawn, which may be regarded as an essay in static textures.

Spiritus was compiled by Dave Cottrell at Studio 410, Rufford, during 2015

Mark Graham - design
Andrew Keeling - photography

"There's an intimate, discursive quality to the way Keeling manipulates his chosen compositional elements, the urgent rhythmic motifs and triadic tone structures, particularly in the more reflective passages of "Unquiet Earth"."